As important as it is for a company to avoid making a “bad hire“, it is equally as important for the candidate to find a role that suits their skill-set, values and work style. Whereas a bad hire can have financial implications for a business and other disruptions to the running of the business; a professional taking a job that isn’t particularly well suited to them can also have negative consequences for them, such as a damaged reputation and financial issues associated with losing their job.

We’ve covered what employers can do to avoid hiring the wrong person, but what can the job seeker do to ensure they don’t take on a role that doesn’t suit them? Here are a few signs to look out for that a job may be a bad fit for you.

1) What kind of communication did you have during the interview process?

The way that the interview process is organised can tell you a lot about the efficiency of a business. If communication is delayed, or meetings are rearranged/cancelled throughout the process, it could give an indication that the business is poorly run or members of the team don’t work well together.

If you don’t think that you could work well in a slightly chaotic environment you may want to treat this as a warning sign and look elsewhere. On the other hand, this could always be an isolated issue for the company, so is it a gamble you’re willing to take?

2) Did you get a feel for the company culture?

You can build an idea about what kind of company culture an organisation has from the interview, their social media accounts and from the current employees. From the impression you have built, do you think it is an environment that you can see yourself thriving in? We spend a large portion of our life at work, so it’s important that you feel settled and can be productive in the workplace. Different people work well in different ways, so do your best to find a company that suits your style and needs.

3) Did you build a rapport with your prospective manager?

Think about what kind of vibes you got from your prospective manager during your interview. Did you gel and feel that you could work well with them? You may also have been able to get a feel for their leadership style and assess whether it suits the way you like to work.

Your relationship with your boss can have a large impact on your work performance and job satisfaction, so you don’t want to take a role if you feel you may clash with them from the get go. It’s also important that you share the same values as them, so you have the opportunity for your career to grow in the direction you would like it to. So if you have differing opinions on work ethics, employee autonomy, etc. you may want to reconsider the job.

4) Is there a high turnover in the company?

If the business is a relatively new startup this may not be relevant, but for a well-established company that has been going for a few years or more, a high turnover can be a bit of a red flag for job seekers. If employees don’t want to stay at the company for a long period of time it makes you wonder what it is that is driving them out.

You can ask why the position is open in your interview to build an understanding about why the previous person left. You can also do a bit of sleuthing to get an idea of how long people have stayed in your particular role by searching LinkedIn for previous employees of the company.

5) Ask all the important questions.

Think about all the factors that you consider the most important in a job and make sure that you address them in your interview or before you accept the job. For example if work life balance is important to you and the role requires a lot of overtime, the role may not be well suited to you. The same goes for scope for promotion, employee benefits, etc.

6) Listen to your gut.

I’m not suggesting we’re all gifted with some sort of 6th sense for these things, but if you’ve got an overwhelming niggling feeling that something isn’t right about a job, it’s probably right. Follow your gut and don’t go for something that really doesn’t feel right to you, as sometimes our subconscious picks up on these things before we’re fully aware of what it is.